Car safety-ladder.



No. 636,|77. Patented Get. 3i, I899. J.'H. RAPP.

CAR SAFETY LADDER.

(Application filed Aug. 8, 1899.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT rrrcn,

JOHN H. RAPP, OF FORT APACHE, ARIZONA TERRITORY.

CAR SAFETY-LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,177, dated October 31, 1899.

' Application filed August 8, 1899. Serial No. 726,614. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. RAPP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Apache, in the county of Navajo and Territory of Arizona, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Ladders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car-ladders, and has for its object to provide a ladder especially adapted for use on freight-cars, which will be exceedingly strong, safe, and durable, which may be first constructed and assembled together and then firmly attached to the car as an entirety, together with a step and handhold, and, finally, it has for its object to improve the construction of this class of ladders generally.

To these ends my invention consists in the features and in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described,'and particularly pointed outin the claims following the description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, formingapart of the specification, wherein Figure 1 is a view in elevation of my improved ladder, showing the same attached to a car. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view, and Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, numeral 1 indicates a freight-car to which my improved ladder is applied, as shown, to enable members of the train-crew to ascend to and descend from the roof of the car with ease and despatch. Heretofore it has been a common practice to secure such ladders or steps to the car by ordinary screws, which in the course of time rot out and become loose, thereby rendering the ladder unsafe -and endangering the lives of the trainmen and also becoming liable to damage property alongside the tracks. By means of the construction which I will now describe the ladder is rendered very strong and durable and is securely attached to the car, whereby the dangers above alluded to are obviated.

In the drawings the numeral 2 indicatestwo vertical rails, which may be formed of either wood or metal, as may be preferred,

each of said rails being provided on its rear or inner side with a longitudinal groove 3, which extends from end to end of the rail. Formed transversely in each of the rails from front to rear thereof are mortises or apertures 4, which extend entirely through the rails and communicate at their inner ends with the grooves 3.

The numeral 5 indicates the rounds, each consisting of a metallic rod having its opposite ends bent inwardly at right angles, as at 6, and the extremities of such bent ends bent to form eyes 7. The relative sizes of the mortises 4 in the side rails and the eyes 7 are such that said eyes may be inserted in and passed through the mortises,so as to lie in the grooves 3 formed in the rear sides of the rails 2. Seated in each of the grooves 3 and passing through the eyes of the rounds therein is a metallic rod 8, which projects beyond the opposite end of the rail. Each of said rods is headed at its upper end, as at 9, and passes through the crown-molding 10 and the eaves of the roof of the car, and the upper ends of the rods also pass through the ends of the handhold 11, consisting of a metallic rod bent downwardly at its opposite ends, thence forward, and at its extremities is formed with flattened perforated ears or lugs 12, through which the rods pass.

The lower ends of the rods Sare threaded, and secured on said threaded ends is a step 13, consisting of a fiat metallic bar having upwardly-bent and rearwardly-inclined ends 14, the extremities of which are bent outward in opposite directions to form perforated ears or lugs 15, which are arranged on the lower threaded ends of the rods 8 and are secured in place thereon by nuts 16. The latter are prevented from unscrewing and dropping off the rods by cotter-pins 17 inserted in slots formed transversely in the ends of the rods beneath the nuts.

The rails 2 are firmly and securely attached to the car by bolts 18, which pass through said rails and through the sides of the car. After the parts have been assembled together and attached to the car in the manner described by screwing up the nuts 16 the rods 8 are drawn and strained taut, securely and tightly binding all the parts rigidly together an d firmly in place. When secured together in the manner described, the ladder is not only securely attached to the side of the car, but is also supported firmly from the roof, rendering the ladder perfectly safe and secure at all times. By wholly seating the eyes 7 of the rounds and the rods 8 entirely within the grooves formed in the rear of the rails they are not only covered and concealed, thereby giving the ladder a neat and finished appearance, but all projections are avoided which would otherwise be liable to catch in the clothing of the trainmen and endanger their footing on the ladder.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A car-ladder comprising two vertical rails, means for securing said rails to the side of the car, rounds each consisting of a metallic rod bent at right angles at its opposite ends and passing transversely through the rails from the front to the rear sides thereof, eyes formed on the extremities of said bent ends, a rod disposed longitudinally on the rear side of each of the rails and passing through all the eyes arranged therein, and means for preventing lengthwise movement of the rods, substantially as described.

2. A car-ladder comprising two vertical rails longitudinally grooved on their rear the rails to the side of the car, substantially as described.

3. A car-ladder comprising two vertical rails longitudinally grooved on their rear sides and provided with transverse mortises extending from front to rear of the rails and communicating with said grooves, rounds bent inward at right angles at their opposite ends and provided at their extremities with eyes, said bent ends passing through said mortises and the eyes disposed in said grooves, means for securing the rails to the side of a car, headed rods passing through the eaves of the car-roof and through a handhold ar-,

ranged on the roof, each of said rods also passing through all the eyes in one of the rails, and a step fixed on the lower ends of said rods, substantially as described.

4. A car-ladder comprising two vertical rails bolted to the side of the car and longitudinally grooved on their rear sides, said rails being provided with transverse mortises extending from the front to the rear thereof, rounds bent inward at right angles at their opposite ends and provided at their extremities with eyes, said bent ends passing through said mortises and their eyes disposed in said grooves, a handhold arranged on the car-roof above the ladder,headed rods passing through said handholds and roof and through the eyes in the grooves, a step fitted over the lower threaded ends of said rods, nuts screwed on the rods beneath the ends of the step, and cotter-pins fittedin the rods beneath the nuts, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN II. RAPP.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM HUGHES, I'IOW'ARD IRVING. 

